Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-02-03
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
What II Is, and How it may be Accom-.
plished.

Il
plished.
BY MRS. J. A. CURTIS, OF PATCH GROVE.
The word, Economy, as defined by
Webster. means primarily .'the man
agement and government of family,
the frugal and judicious use of money"
Therefore. domestic economy, finan-
cially considered, may be defined as the
art of making given income go as far
as possible in procuring for family the
means of living-the word living being
understood in its wider and higher
sense. 1t being assumed that the out
lay shall be within the income, the lead
ing object of the art is to rightly appor-
ton the outlay among the different OBJ.
jects. How this is best to be done can
be discovered only by large expert
ences andif young housekeeper were
to begin her career without some indica-
ton of the path she should follow, she
will make many serious mistakes. oc-
casioning loss and discomfort. Domes-
tic economy means more than knowl-
edge of what shall we eat, and how
shall we cook? 1t means knowledge
that can answer these questions; it
means the systemization of the house
hold tasks so that ample time be left for
self-culture and Improvement of the
mental faculties with which God has
endowed each reasoning soul and for
which we must give an account. 1t be-
hooves us to lose no opportunity for i'm
proyement, for the world judges US
without our consent many times. I'm
der the head of domestic economy
come the different modes of baking,
cooking, preserving and pickelibg;
but she possesses the most knowledge
of domestic economy. who by the exer-
else of that knowledge saves for herself
needed time for rest and recreation, and
lifts herself above the level of mere
drudge. But how is it possible to pro-
cure time for study or improvement
when one pair of hands perform all the
work of farm house? asks some dis
couraged overworked woman, as she
stands at the washboard or ironing
table. thinking YEARLY of Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday and Saturday with
their ceaseless round of labor. How is
it possible to avoid tasks, neglecting
some and toiling early and late at 9TH
ersp Yes; it is possible by using FORE
thought and management to procure
leisure time, but the washing and IRON
ing must be done by easy and labor
saving methods. 1t is economy of la
Dor to supply ones self with all the
labor-saving machinery to be obtained.
Look at the Artisan; look at the farm
OF. All the work that was formerly
done by hand is now done by machin-
cry. And it is the unfailing duty of ev-
cry husband and father to supply his
wife and daughters with all the labor
saving helps that his means will admit
in the ratio that he supplies himself
There must be judgment used on
baking days, that no unnecessary labor
is spent Much precious time that peo-
pie spend on baking Is worse than
wasted. In these days when canned
fruit and SO many articles of diet can
be purchased SO cheaply, a really dain-
ty and substantial repast can be pre-
pared at a small cost of time, labor aud
money. Rolling pie crust for hours,
rolling and baking cookies for children
to eat between meals. when slice of
bread and butter would be far healthier,
is but one of the many ways in which
much unnecessary time is spent. Moth
ing is more thoroughly mistaken than
the idea that woman fultills her duty
by doing an amount of work far beyond
her strength. She not only does not do
her duty, but sadly fails IN it. II the
work of the household cannot be ac-
complished by order and system and
moderate work, without the necessity
of wearing. heart-breaking toll; with
out making lite tread-mill OF labor,
then for the sake OF humanity let the
work go. Better to live in the midst OF
disorder than that perfect order should
be purchased at so dear q rate, Mt the
cost of health, strength. happiness and
all that makes life desirable. 1t is not
economy 10 make ones sell an invalid
from overwork, for there will be the
physician to pay and that is heavy
drain on the purse.
To have place fol everything and
everything in its place ID saving of
time, strength and patience. Economy
in clothing consists in purchasing q
good article, even if the first cost is a
little more; make it up in a plain, SUBJ
stantial manner, and when il has done
duty in one capacity, make it over as
taste and ingenuity shall suggest, into
something useful. Very many dollars
can be saved every year by simply TAX
ing good care of ones clothes. Never
take off a good garment and throw it
carelessly down. Either fold it smooth
ly or hang it in place prepared for it.
II nice garm ent gets soiled in any
way while wearing it is much easier
cleansing it at once than to leave it un-
til more convenient time. In pur-
chasing articles for domestic use it is
economy to purchase in considerable
quantities, bolt of domestic. bolt of
bleached muslin, barrel OF sugar.
sack of coffee and so on, as the means
of the purchaser and the requirements
of the family need. always paying cash
for the same. it rs always economy to
buy fresh fruit in its season when it can
be procured cheap. and put it up in
cans for future use The question of
how to make q dollar go the farthest
is an important one in many house,
holds. In such homes the art of max
ing the most of little things, of utilizing
the odds and ends. Of planning SO that
20 cents carefully spent will go as far